Lang Leav is one of my poet heroes. Pronounced Lang “Leeyav,” I first discovered her on Twitter and never looked back. She is a success story we can only dream of becoming. Her story went like this, according to her blog and website: “I self-published my first book, Love & Misadventure. As soon as it was listed for sale, my book began to top best-seller charts and caught the attention of two literary agents in New York. I signed up with Writers House and was promptly offered a publishing deal by Andrews McMeel.” Not only that, she illustrates her own books. She, yup, is a talented artist as well.

I am about to publish my first book of poems, and a little secret between us, I’ve written her to see if she might give it a read. A shot in the dark, I know, but a girl’s gotta try, right? Why the hell not? All she can do is say no or nothing…ahhhhh…but if she says, “yes.”

She was born in Thailand and has won numerous awards as a best-selling author. She is the winner of a Qantas Spirit of Youth Award and coveted Churchill Fellowship. Her books continue to top bestseller charts in bookstores worldwide, and her collection Lullabies was the 2014 winner of the Goodreads Choice award for poetry. But what I love when I read some of her poetry is the way it resonates with me personally, and I love watching her love story unfold with Michael Faudet, another poet I’m madly in love with, with whom I’m sure you’re all familiar. I can relate. Again.